Spathiphyllum is a genus of about 40 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to tropical regions of the Americas and southeastern Asia. Spathiphyllum plants are evergreen herbaceous perennial plants with large leaves having a length of 12-65 cm and width of 3-25 cm. The flowers are produced in a spadix, surrounded by a 10-30 cm long, white, yellowish, or greenish spathe. Leaves are basal, glossy and somewhat deeply veined, ovate and acuminate. The petioles are long and the leaves arch gracefully. The plant produces offsets at the base and in time becomes a dense clump. The plants do not need large amounts of light or water to survive.
For the above reasons, Spathiphyllum, in particular smaller species thereof are extremely attractive as indoor ornamental plants.
However, at the spadix, Spathiphyllum produces a large amount of pollen. As the spadix is very exposed to the environment, the pollen are readily distributed, resulting the leaves being covered by pollen, by which the plant gets a less attractive appearance. Also, the pollen can stain textiles, such as human clothes when getting in contact therewith. Further, thrips are attracted to the pollen of Spathiphyllum, resulting in plagues that may cause significant damage, in particular for Spathiphyllum growers. Therefore, the use of biocides can be reduced in Spathiphyllum with reduced pollen content or even minimized in pollen-free Spathiphyllum. 